PREGNANT TEACHER SAYS SEX WITH TEEN ‘JUST HAPPENED’

Letter: Relationship with ex-student, 17, would continue if not for his age

Barrett said she would not feel differently if the gender roles in this case were reversed, except if a young female victim — who cannot legally give consent — had gotten pregnant.

Several attorneys said a victim’s age is a significant factor in how cases are charged and whether sex-offender registration is mandatory. In Watson’s case, it was not.

Having to register as a sex offender can make it difficult to find work and housing.

“I tell clients I’d rather (they) do a lot more jail time than have to register as a sex offender, if that’s possible,” said defense lawyer Kerry Armstrong, who was not involved in Watson’s case.

Armstrong said he has seen some female defendants in sex cases receive different, perhaps more lenient, treatment than their male counterparts. And although prosecutors insist that they treat everyone equally, “I don’t think they do,” he said.

Court documents show police first contacted Watson and the 17-year-old on July 28 in response to a possible domestic violence incident at an apartment. The teen told officers he had pushed Watson.

Officers said the words, “I want to have a baby with you,” were written on the bathroom mirror inside the apartment.

Police learned that Watson and the teen were having a sexual relationship and that Watson was a special-education teacher who had worked at New Haven Youth & Family Services, a facility in Vista for boys with emotional and behavioral problems.

She worked at Oceanside High School at the time of her arrest.

In her letter to the court, Watson said her pregnancy was not planned, and she considered it a “miracle” because she had tried unsuccessfully for years to have a child with her husband before they separated.

She said she is excited about the baby and hopes the father will remain in their lives after he turns 18.

The judge barred Watson from contacting the teenager, but said he can be present for the child’s birth.